Guillain-Barré Syndrome and Its Link to Campylobacter Infection

Guillain-Barré syndrome (pronounced Ghee-YAN Bah-RAY), or GBS, happens when a person's immune system harms their own nerves, causing muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. It is rare — CDC estimates 3,000 to 6,000 people develop it each year in the United States — and it isn't contagious.

Image from CDC's page on Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Symptoms

• The first signs are weakness and tingling, usually starting in both legs, then spreading to the arms and upper body.
• Symptoms can worsen over hours, days or weeks.
• The weakness can progress until some muscles can't be used; in severe cases, people become paralyzed.

Outlook

People with GBS need to be hospitalized. Most begin to recover 2 to 3 weeks after symptoms start, though full recovery can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few years. Most people recover completely, but some are left with permanent nerve damage, and some have died.

The Campylobacter connection

Campylobacter infection is one of the most common causes of GBS in the United States.

• About 1 in every 1,000 people with Campylobacter infection develops GBS.
• At least 1 in every 20 people with GBS recently had a Campylobacter infection — and some studies found as many as 8 in 20.

Other triggers

The benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks: studies show people are more likely to develop GBS after having the flu than after a flu shot.

Who gets it

Anyone can, but in the United States GBS is more common in men and in people older than 50.

Outbreaks

GBS outbreaks are very rare, and usually follow another outbreak — for instance, when several people infected in a Campylobacter outbreak go on to develop GBS.

For diagnosis and treatment, talk with your health care provider, or see the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke's GBS fact sheet.

Sources

Based on "Guillain-Barré Syndrome," Campylobacter (Campylobacteriosis), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain.